Another View
by Trevor X
Summary: (KoTOR, AU) The story is familiar, until you come to the changes. Fated to die, what happens when they live? Will their lives affect the outcome? Tiny pebbles change the course of a river…
1. Endar Spire

_"Come on! We've got to go!"_

The cry that startled me out of a sleep-induced stupor came from the blond haired soldier that burst through the door to my quarters. Alarms were going off throughout the ship, and my blood ran cold at the realization: we were under attack. Rushing to my locker, I listened with half an ear as Trask (he finally introduced himself) stated our current battle status.

"Everything's in lockdown, but I _do_ have the codes to get us out of here. I know that you're only a scout, but Bastila needs everyone up on the bridge with her to repel the boarders."

My grogginess showed through as I merely nodded and motioned for him to lead on. He strapped on a combat vest as he punched in the codes one handed. The doors hissed open and we raced down the passageway to the main corridor.

On the other side of the access hatch, we could hear blaster fire and the cries of the wounded. The door opened at a touch and we watched helplessly as another crewmember fell to blaster fire in front of us. Trask turned to me, eyes blazing.

"They must be a Sith boarding party!" In a low crouch, he pushed out from behind the cover of the wall and straight into the middle of the hallway, firing as he went. "For the Republic!"

Not being as heavily armored as my companion I kept more to the cover of the wall and fired with two blasters, more to keep the Sith busy than to actually cause damage. Blaster bolts flew down the hallway, and between Trask's brazen offensive and my covering fire, they went down fast. Pausing only to check that the casualties were actually dead and to relieve them of a pair of grenades, we hastened forward.

We encountered a few more soldiers in the honeycombed corridors of the cruiser, but they were easily dispatched from ambush. Fragmentation grenades have a decent miss tolerance, and I didn't miss often when throwing them. Surprising really.

A strangely familiar hum was coming from beyond the next doorway, but it had been sealed by the weight of debris that had fallen in front of it. Forced aside, we took another path. Trask's face showed his anxiety - the Sith were everywhere and Bastila had need of us.

I'd forgotten to ask just why Bastila was so important.

Maybe I knew it by instinct. On the other hand, maybe logic took over at some point. Regardless, when we finally reached an open doorway, we had to halt yet again. In front of us played out a sight familiar in many locations across the galaxy. Lightsabers thrummed with power as they clashed in a battle betwixt dark and light. The female Jedi was slowly besting her darker male counterpart.

"A Dark Jedi! We'd better stay back and let her handle him."

I was almost convinced that Trask just wanted to see the girl in action. A nicely executed parry and riposte felled the man, just as an explosion from inside the walls sent both forms tumbling forward into an intersecting corridor.

Two Sith soldiers ran forward; apparently they'd been watching the battle as well.Trask cursed as they came into view. "Damn! We could have used her help – she was one of the Jedi in Bastila's party."

He wasted no time in blasting our opponents to pieces. Meanwhile I ducked and dove forwards to check on the woman. In a way Trask was right; we certainly could use her help _if _there were any more Dark Jedi onboard. Otherwise we might be able to handle things ourselves.

Miraculously she was still breathing when I got to her. There was shrapnel from the blast embedded in her back, but not so deeply as to have injured anything vital. _Unconscious_, I decided. Laying out the medpac, I started to patch her up as my shipmate came over.

He blinked in confusion. "She's _alive?_"

I nodded. It was easier than speaking right now.

"No time for emergency surgery – it'll have to wait." I ignored him as he blathered on about the obvious. Stripping out of my jacket, I put it on her slender form, and then slung her over my shoulder. Pushing my blaster back into its holster, I took up the fallen lightsabers and clipped them to my belt. There was no need for us to waste weapons in a fight.

"Lead on." Short, simple and to the point. Trask nodded and stalked ahead.

He turned the next corner and I heard blaster fire. The satisfying thump of a frag grenade ended that threat rather quickly. A blonde head peered around the corner and a hand waved 'all clear'.

"You're having way too much fun."

Too bad he couldn't hear me.

He stopped us in front of the bridge. He was grimacing as I came up. "We'll need to equip melee weapons here. The bridge will be too crowded to fight with blasters. Uh, you might want to put her down out of the way."

A bit of hesitation and then I complied, setting my burden back around the corner to protect her from any blaster bolts that might stray out of the fray. Trask was already on the move when I got back, his vibroblade reaching out and gutting the soldier opposing him. The Sith tumbled to the floor, his movements stilling to an occasional twitch. All over the bridge, soldiers were falling and dying. Shrieks and groans rose in cacophony, smoke from exploded instruments creating a fog that hung heavily over the entire compartment.

Precious moments passed as we cleared the bridge of enemy soldiers. When we finished, we were the only Republic representatives left alive. Most of the bridge crew had fled; the few that remained lay in haphazard fashion on the deck.

"Bastila's not here!" Trask shouted over the noise of the continuing explosions. "We'd better head for the escape pods!"

He waited while I ran back to gather the wounded Jedi. Her breathing was steady, a reassuring factor in my eyes. We caught up to our guide again on the bridge, waiting while he fiddled with the panel that would allow us to access the starboard section of the ship. Finally, it opened and he stepped into the adjoining chamber.

The opposite door opened with a well-maintained whoosh and I stopped on the threshold. Standing there with the ugliest grin that I had ever seen (and I'd _been_ places) was another Dark Jedi. His robes were much more ornate than the ones on the other member of his order that we had encountered, so we could assume that this was one of their higher ranked members.

"_GO!"_ Trask was shouting as he burst into motion. His vibroblade rose to intercept the first cuts of the crimson blade as it descended towards his head. "I'll try to hold him off of you as long as I can!"

Hunched over like I was, there was nothing I could do to stop him. As he cleared the doorway and pushed the dark one back, the wall exploded between us. _"NO!"_

I could only watch in despair as the way closed. Turning, I hastened through a second doorway, ignoring the frantic cries of the Republic pilot who urged me to hurry to the escape pods.

How I made it through the remaining corridors I will never know. Somehow, I managed to duck and weave my way through a hail of blaster fire and still shoot my antagonists without injuring my burden. I did maintain enough presence of mind to reduce the last ambush squad to charred remains by remotely overloading the main circuit in the room. Carth opened the doors to greet me and raised an eyebrow as he noticed what I carried.

"Hurry up! Bastila's pod is already away. You," and here he paused for a short moment, "are the only remaining crewmembers left alive. We've got to get out of here."

He led the way into the pod, helping me as I handed the unconscious Jedi aboard. We blasted away just in time to view the final destruction of the vessel we had crewed.

_Excerpt from the Journal of T. Arath_

* * *

Carth watched as the scout sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the pallet to rest on the floor. He looked terrible, the Republic soldier noted, almost worse than when he'd been dragged in here half dead from the landing. Rising from the side of his other patient, Carth moved towards the middle of the room. 

"Hey, you're awake. It's been touch and go for the past couple of days. Ever since I dragged you in here after we landed."

Gesturing behind him to where a woman lay, he raised an eyebrow at his fellow survivor. "Course, you're doing better than she is by any stretch."

Tevan winced as he swung his legs off the pallet. The dream had been all too real. Lightsabers were clashing in front of his face, and a beautiful Jedi battled against a hooded figure. She won just as the dream ended, and he had awoken to pain in his body.

Carth's greeting took him somewhat by surprise, and the scout looked up quickly. "Yeah, I guess so."

The soldier took a closer look. "I'm Carth, you _do_ remember me right?"

"On board the Endar Spire, right? I remember you." Tevan nodded, noting absently that his neck _didn't_ hurt from the motion. His body was beginning to feel a little better already. _Encouraging_.

"I managed to get both of you inside this abandoned apartment before the Sith investigation teams converged on our pod. It took a little bit of doing, but I think we are safe for the moment. While you were out, I managed to find out that several pods crashed down in the Undercity. I think that one of them was Bastila's. We need to find her fast, and then get out of here."

"The Sith?" Tevan wasn't thinking too clearly.

"Yeah." Carth was nodding his head as he turned around and paced the floor. "They've got Taris under their thumb right now. There's a blockade to stop anyone from leaving the planet. Like I said, we've got to find Bastila and then figure out a way off of this place."

The scout stood up and stretched. "Any ideas of where to start?"

"Not really, but I figure with all the Sith out there looking for Bastila, as long as we're careful they won't be paying much attention to a couple of grunts like us."

Tevan shrugged. It was fuzzy logic, but then again, everything was fuzzy right now. "Let's get going then, as long as she'll be okay?" He gestured towards the still form on the bed to let Carth know about whom he was speaking.

The pilot raised an eyebrow. "Can't really say, but I think the Sith are done doing sweeps of this place. If she were awake, we'd know better. We'll have to get some medical supplies anyways."

"Right." Tevan still looked unsure, but he strapped on his blaster anyway. "Lead on."

* * *

The atmosphere in the cantina was charged with emotion when the two off-worlders entered. Small knots of conversation were formed in the main areas, mostly consisting of slurs towards both the occupying forces and the travelers' trapped planet-side. Most of the locals ignored the few Sith officers enjoying the hospitality of the place. 

Carth frowned as he recognized the military types. Even though most of them were on the edge of a good buzz, they still might cause problems if they figured out who had just entered their little world. Luck seemed to be with him however, as none of them paid any attention beyond a casual first glimpse.

He led the way over to the viewing room and stepped up to one of the monitors there, trying to blend in with the atmosphere. He watched with half-hearted interest as a farce of a duel played onscreen. The bottom ranked player was soundly defeated with one shot. _'Typical…'_

He looked around for his companion to comment on the show and found him gone._ 'Slowly… He can't have gotten far. Blast it all!'_

Stiffly Carth surveyed the room, moving over towards the doorway as he did so. His hand dropped surreptitiously to his blaster, a move not necessary as he found Tevan on the opposite end of the room talking to the Hutt that ran the dueling establishment.

The soldier eased himself over to stand within distance of their conversation. He was just in time to hear the conclusion of their bargaining. "…pay fair price for what you pull in. You'll need a show name though – how about 'Mysterious Stranger'?"

Tevan shrugged and nodded assent. "Fine. I'll be back in a little while then."

He turned to find Carth right behind him. "We need the credits."

"Yeah, smart idea. Glad to know that you're not using your real name in the circuit."

The scout shrugged. "No one ever does."

"Right. So why the arena? Why not play some pazaak?" Carth indicated the tables set up near the entrance staffed by a couple of brightly shirted players. Tevan merely rolled his eyes at the question.

"Because my luck is _terrible_ when it comes to games of chance. Dice, cards; I just never have them turn out right. In fact, once when I had a pazaak board that was rigged in my favor, it broke down without me winning a single hand." The scout smiled grimly. "That's why I'm sticking to something that I have a chance at."

They had reached the central room by then, stopping in an unoccupied alcove. Tevan laid a hundred credits on the table in front of the Republic soldier. "I won't need this. If you can make more out of it, be my guest. I'll be back to the apartment late with medical supplies. It'll take a couple of duels before I actually begin to draw a crowd."

Carth nodded, reaching out to deposit the credits inside a vest pocket. "Fine. Just – be careful. I'll try to find out more info before I head back."

Tevan watched for a little while as his comrade sat in at the pazaak tables. It wasn't spectacular, but apparently he won a few games. A blonde haired hustler was trying to pick him up when he got up to leave. The scout turned his eyes away without learning whether Carth had taken her up on her offer.

* * *

He limped into the apartment late that evening, dragging an inebriated form along with him. During the lull in the arena battles, he had managed to strike up a conversation with one of the female officers in the cantina. She'd ranted on about how people just didn't have the right view of things – why the Sith on Taris didn't have it all that great, but were they complaining? Of course not! 

A few drinks later, and she invited her sympathetic listener to a party later in the evening.

Tevan had gone there after winning his last battle that evening, a rematch with a fighter called Ice. Credits had been flowing on the contest, the woman having fought desperately before succumbing to his skill. Her tactical decisions just were not very sound…

At the party, Tarisian Ale had been in abundance, a fact rendered moot by the low tolerance of all the drinkers. None of them was on duty the following day, which led them to let loose with the regrettable consequence of falling asleep in the middle of the party. Tevan had taken the opportunity to rifle through some of their belongings and snatch up a few uniforms before taking his female admirer and dragging her off with him.

There had to be a scapegoat for the missing items after all.

'_Of course, you didn't know that when you asked me to come to that party did you Sarna? You only thought that you'd found a sympathetic ear.'_

"Perhaps the ear is more sympathetic than you realize."

Carth started awake as Tevan lay his burden down on the bed. The pilot rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he dropped the barrel of his blaster towards the floor. "What in the world!"

The scout merely held out his hand and dropped a rucksack on the floor. His eyes closed as the slumped into one of the rickety chairs that had been inside of the apartment when they first arrived. "Just a ticket for our security. I had to steal some uniforms so we could access the Undercity. She's the junior officer who is going to be the recipient of the blame for a _very_ bad prank."

That was the last comment from the scout, his body finally giving out and leaving him unconscious. Carth blinked himself fully awake and set about fixing up the newcomers – one in bonds and the other in bandages.

After all were comfortably situated in beds, the pilot situated himself on the rickety chair in the corner. He dumped the rucksack out on the floor and stared with some appreciation at the pile of credits that fell out, along with the promised medpacs.

"Well…" The pilot turned to stare at the unconscious figure on the bed. "Somebody was busy today."

* * *

_AN: Just another freak idea that hit me as I played through KoTOR. (I still don't have KoTOR2, no money... SOB) Anyway, the idea was something to the effect of 'what if the jedi girl survived instead of died on the Endar Spire'? Being my brilliant self, I figured that I ought to write it up. shrugs Or maybe not so brilliant. I may or may not continue this, depending on if anyone is actually interested in reading it._

_Of course, progress will probably be slow. I do have other stories that I'm writing, some of which actually generated reviews. This means readers and I'm much more motivated to actually accomplish something for my readers..._

_So review. Or don't._

_(I appreciate reviews... so do my non-existent muses)_

_Later,_

_Trevor X_


	2. Cantina, Lower Level

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Since you did, here's the second chapter (or most of it)!_

* * *

It was midmorning before anyone stirred. Carth rubbed his eyes as he walked over to the single window in the apartment. "You'd think that something would happen here. It's as if the whole of the population is waiting for us to make a grand entrance or something."

His grumbling was interrupted by a feminine voice behind him. "Perhaps they are."

The pilot blinked and whirled around. The female Jedi was sitting up on her bed, her whole manner bespeaking her inner calm.

"Well, look who's up."

She shook her head, a slight smile gracing her lips. "Sarcasm doesn't fit you well, no matter how much you try to hide behind it."

"Still, I am grateful to be alive. I thank you."

Carth snorted, leaning back against the window. "Save it for those who actually deserve it. If it wasn't for the kid here," and he pointed towards where his fellow crewmember lay still asleep, "you wouldn't have made it to the escape pod alive."

His argument did make sense. Her memory supported the claim, at least as far as it went. "I will thank him later, when he wakes up." Almost as an afterthought, she added. "My name is Ria."

The pilot nodded absent-mindedly, his thoughts already soaring ahead to the remainder of the day. They should be able to access the Undercity, now that they had the proper disguise to do so. Of course, that would depend on how up to the task his companions were.

Almost on cue, Tevan woke up and struggled into a sitting position. A thin bead of sweat trickled down his face and he lifted a hand to wipe it away from his eyes. He was muttering something under his breath, and Carth strained to hear what the scout was saying.

"_Just a nightmare, that's all. Just a nightmare."_

Tevan looked up and noticed the faces staring at him. "What is it?"

"Are you okay?" Carth knew he didn't sound too sympathetic, but he needed to know. "You look like you might still be having problems from yesterday."

The scout shook his head. "I'm a little sore, but nothing that is going to hinder me. It's just the dreams I've been having. They aren't all that pleasant." He grimaced and waved off the subject. "I'm ready to go when you are."

"Great." Carth's voice was flat, but the pilot realized that his companion didn't want to talk about it any more. "We're all set to get into the lower levels. Ria will have to stay here and look after our unexpected guest."

"Ria?"

"That would be me." The Jedi looked almost amused. Standing hastily, Tevan half-bowed in her direction.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "I understand that I have you to thank for my life."

"It was nothing."

"No," she said, slowly lifting her hand to rest her chin upon, "it was not _'nothing'_. It may be far more than we know."

"After all," she tilted her head to one side, and glanced at Carth, "not everyone would have stopped to see if I even breathed after the explosion. Not to mention retrieving my lightsaber."

Tevan shifted uncomfortably on his feet. The attention he was receiving was stirring a memory within him, but with maddening certainty, it kept dancing out of his mental grasp. He walked over to the workbench and retrieved Ria's weapon.

"Here. I don't think that it's broken."

The Jedi took her weapon and turned it over carefully, inspecting its surface for any signs of failure in the casing. Finding none, she pointed it away from her and activated the tiny stud on the side, bringing the blade into life with startling quickness. The thrumming of the blade was almost hypnotic; she held it out before her for a moment longer before shutting the lightsaber off.

"It still works. That should be enough for the present."

"I can only hope that it is."

An impatient Republic pilot broke the moment of silence. "Come on! We don't have all day to stand around here. We've got to find Bastila."

"Lead on, fearless leader." Tevan waved helplessly to the bed ridden Jedi. "See you later."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the dark depths of Taris, a figure stirred in the shadows. The woman glared at the door that held her prisoner and silently cursed herself and her captors. As soon as she could find an opportunity to escape, she would do so.

* * *

Dressed as a Sith Patrol, it didn't take much effort to pass the checkpoint to the lower city. Carth's military experience allowed him to fake the role of patrol leader with ease and the guard gave them access to the elevator. As it came to a stop at the lower level, Carth checked his blaster rifle and took a quick look out the doorway. "All clear, let's go!" 

The doors shut behind them, and they headed across the street to an apartment complex. "Sith!" A shout rang out from the side, and the pair turned to see what looked like a street gang rushing to the assault. _"Blast!"_ Carth's voice was angry, but he used his blaster rifle professionally, cutting down two of the attackers at a distance. A third assailant reached him and tried to gut him with a vibroblade, but the pilot dodged the attack and triggered another hail of blaster bolts that tore into the gang member, sending him sprawling lifelessly to the street.

Slightly off to the side, Tevan was ending his own battle. The scout grasped the arm of the first assailant to approach and threw him into the path of the second opponent. The Vulkar screamed as he was cut in two by his own comrade. A swift blow to the throat ended the last surviving gang member's career of crime.

Returning the vibroblade to its sheath, the scout nodded grimly to the pilot. "Lead on." Carth nodded and carefully slid open the door to the apartments. When there was no response to his action, he rolled through the doorway and came up in a crouch, his weapon sweeping the curving hallway before him. It was empty.

Waving his hand, Carth began to move further into the building. Behind him, he heard the door slide shut and the reassuring footsteps of his companion covering his back. Well, it should have been reassuring; Carth found it more satisfactory that he had the unknown quotient under his thumb. He had to admit that the kid had been extremely efficient at the tasks that had been given to him so far. He'd even been fairly open concerning his past, though the recounting seemed _fuzzy_, for lack of a better term. Maybe it was just the stress of the current situation wearing on him.

Whatever it was, it didn't necessitate his immediate attention; clearing a room here did. While they could wander around in the Undercity in the pilfered uniforms, it would probably cause more problems than it would solve. Apart from the Sith patrols in the area, no one would care about their supposed 'authority'. Besides, the disguise did nothing to maintain anonymity in a city full of lowlifes.

Surprisingly enough, the first room that they broke into was empty, save for a scrapped security droid in one corner. The uniforms were discarded, stuffed into a metal container in the corner. Carth checked his pistol and replaced the power cell in the blaster rifle he had been using. Tevan stood over by the droid, fiddling with its internal workings. A spark flew and the scout pulled back his fingers hastily. "Ouch."

Hesitantly he went back to work, reconnecting wires and circuits. Finally, he closed up the droid and powered up the interface. Carth moved closer, curious now. The scout was inputting several figures, changing the droid's functions. When he closed up the interface panel, the droid whirred once and came to life. Bluish shields snapped up around it, and it turned to face the humans. "Scanning commencing."

Its electronic eyes stared hard at them for a moment. "Scanning finished. Life forms classified, friendly. Patrol on standby."

The pilot cast a glance at his companion. "What did it just do?"

"I programmed it to guard this room for us. It just finished classifying us as friendly." Tevan stood a little to the side and strapped on his blaster. "I figured that it would be best if we had a chance of retaining our disguises. We still might have other patrols to pass."

Carth nodded, seeing the wisdom in that thought. Opening the door, he peered both ways. No one was in sight, and he stepped out into the corridor. Tevan followed behind him, pausing only to lock the door. Together they walked back out into the Undercity. Few people, human or otherwise, could be seen in the area.

The cantina on this level had a bouncer outside to warn potential customers of the dangers of being 'disruptive'. The two who slipped past him ignored his words, just like every other human who seemed to inhabit this dump. He expressed his opinion rather blatantly in his native tongue, and was surprised to hear what sounded like a dry laugh nearby. He could have sworn that no one would understand what he was saying… After a suspicious glance around, he hunkered down to wait for the next set of customers to beg entrance.

Few people stood in the entryway and most of them seemed content to ignore anyone walking past. Tevan noted Carth's gaze passing over each person, cataloguing his or her threat level in his mind. The scout fought the urge to roll his eyes and walked into the main room. He jerked to a halt as the pilot stopped suddenly. Peering over Carth's shoulder, Tevan took in a ludicrous scene; three aliens surrounded a short human who had stopped and was listening to their drivel.

"Go away."

Dark goggles hid the man's eyes and his mouth seemed set in an eternal frown. He stood silent after his opening statement, almost as if there were no one else in the room with him. His tormentors stepped closer, their eyes gleeful in the dim light. "Hey! You no talk like that! We just want to say hi to big, bad, bounty hunter."

The Twi'lek sneered as he looked down on the little man. "Nah, this can't be Calo Nord. He's supposed to be tough. This one is a runt."

_"One."_

"You try to be funny, little man? " The Rhodian looked puzzled.

"Hey, do you know who we are? We're Black Vulkars, so don't mess with us!" The bounty hunter ignored the warning.

_"Two."_

"Me no understand. _One? Two?_ Why you counting? You trying to figure how many against you or something?" The Rhodian was scratching his head now, still stumped. His companions reached for their blasters. "Well Calo, it's three against one. What do you say to those odds?"

If they were looking for him to back down, they were greatly surprised. The bounty hunter stood there, his eyes hidden behind his goggles. _"Three."_

At that word, his hands swept into motion, his left hand tossing a grenade to the floor while his right swept his blaster out of its holster. The two Republic soldiers covered their eyes instinctively as the grenade exploded in a flash of intense light. Three screams covered the sound of the blasters shots. The light faded, leaving a view of the three corpses on the floor. Silence fell over the cantina as the bounty hunter made his way to the exit.

Noise eventually returned to the place as the patrons returned to their normal routine. The noise of the band filtered through the place as Carth led the way to an unoccupied table in the rear of the cantina. "Nifty little surprise that." He muttered to Tevan as they sat down. "Stun them with the flash and then blast them when they can't see. No wonder he wears those goggles." The scout nodded as he swept the surrounding tables with his gaze. "Stand wary of that one if we ever have to fight him."

Carth raised an eyebrow. "And just what does this come from?" His tone was skeptical. Tevan shook his head impatiently, looking frustrated for a moment. "I… forget it. It was just a feeling that I had."

The pilot struggled with that for a while, studying his companion as if looking for some shred of betrayal. He shrugged finally, accepting the statement at face value. "All right, I'll let it be. Let's see what we can find out about getting down to the Undercity. Directions, anything that will get us there."

"Right, I'll see what I can find out." The scout stood and disappeared into the crowd.

Carth headed for the bar for a drink, passing a wookie sitting at a table as he did so. The alien ignored him, grumbling softly to itself. The pilot ordered his drink and cast about for anyone who looked like a local. No one seemed to stand out, so he sipped his drink and waited. Presently the bartender walked over to him, glancing at the empty glass. "Refill for ya?"

The slight nod that he got encouraged him, and the bartender switched out the glass for another filled to the brim. The customer's hand stayed on the counter for a second longer than necessary to place down his credits, and when the man picked them up, he noted that there was more than was required for the drink. He nodded, lowering his head towards the spacer in front of him. "So what you wanna know?"

Carth's voice was low as he pretended to sip from his drink. "Undercity. Where's the access, and how do we get there."

"Access is easy; head out the door and make a left, follow the street till it dead-ends in an elevator shaft." The bartender slipped the credit chip into his pocket, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Gettin down there is the problem, see, the Sith have a nice little blockade down there, and they ain't lettin people through lately. Not like anybody is ever in a hurry to get down there on a good day. I hear tell it's because of that ship overhead, some escape capsule or some nonesuch. Course, if it was, the people are probably dead by now. Lotsa bad critters down there."

Carth nodded, actually sipping the drink this time as he pondered what he'd just heard. "Any chance you know someone who might know how to get down there?"

The man shrugged, turning away. "Can't say, but I've heard that there's still bounties to be had over at the bounty office." He gestured vaguely over the pilot's shoulder to a room in the back. Carth nodded again and stayed a moment longer to drain his glass. When he slid it over to the bartender, it had another chip underneath. The man looked pleased with himself as he went back to serving his other customers.

Halfway to the room, he ran into Tevan coming his way. The scout fell into step beside him, his voice low. "Hear that there's bounties to be had. Best source of information is the office, Hutt heads it up."

Carth grimaced. "Just our luck."

"Let me handle him. I've spoken to a Hutt a time or two before." Tevan sounded as though it were a routine operation, instead of something distasteful. "Besides, he'll have to speak a rare tongue to keep me from knowing exactly what he's saying, and they generally only speak huttese."

The republic pilot still wasn't happy. "What are the odds of two of those slugs being on the same planet? I don't like it." He got a frown in return. "Maybe you should be quiet and look _menacing_, it might help business negotiations."

The room where Zax held his court with bounties governmental and private was almost free of smoke, which may have been due to the extremely small gathering of people inside it. Two Rhodians and a Twi'lek lounged in opposite corners, blasters tucked safely away in their holsters. Carth glared at them as he passed, and noted that none of them bothered to return the look. The Hutt was another matter altogether.

As soon as they were close enough, his tiny arms began to wave expressively. "Welcome to the bounty hunting office! What can I help you with?"

Carth ignored the odor that emanated from the Hutt and stood silently glaring. Tevan spoke up smoothly, though Carth didn't understand a word of what was uttered. Granted, he hadn't understood much of the Hutt's greeting either, his vocabulary in huttese was extremely limited. The scout and the Hutt discoursed back and forth for a few minutes before Tevan turned and handed him a datapad. "It's got all the info that we'll need for bounties. Anything that we do track down, we come here to get paid for. Zax claims that there's a standard rate for all government bounties."

Carth frowned as he strode out of the room, datapad held loosely in his hand. He glanced at the contents as he slid into a chair at an empty table. "The governmental stuff looks okay, but I won't be party to doing somebody's dirty work for them." The scout nodded as he took the seat across the table. "You're right. Zax didn't seem to care - he said that it's our business as to what contracts we take. If we don't want them, maybe somebody else will be willing to smear the victim. I think we ought to leave our options open though…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Carth waved a his hand impatiently and set the datapad down. "The point is that we have to get _down_ there somehow, get Bastila, and get out of here."

Tevan sighed, running one hand through his hair. "I know. But we're going to have to start somewhere, and maybe we'll get more information as we go along. Zax won't shell out unless you pay him, and I get the feeling that he really doesn't know any more than the bartender here." Seeing Carth nod in agreement, he stood. "Let's get out of here."

They exited the cantina, passing through a few side streets to an old apartment building. According to the data that Zax had given them, a dangerous former bounty hunter resided there.

Carth kept an eye out while Tevan fiddled with the security lock on the door to the apartment. It wasn't standard, and took the scout a few moments to unravel. The door slid open, and as he stepped inside, the pilot was stopped by a cold command. "Stop right there and state your business or I'll blast your brains out."

Glancing to his right, he caught a glimpse of the woman. _'Oh great...'_

* * *

_Sorry if this seems disjointed - you've got everything that has been written up to this point. BTW - Thanks again for the reviews. I really, really appreciate it. It's hard to write something and post it, just to wonder if anyone has bothered to read it._


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